PLATINUM The Journal of Threatened Taxa (JoTT) is dedicated to building evidence for conservaton globally by publishing peer-reviewed artcles OPEN ACCESS online every month at a reasonably rapid rate at www.threatenedtaxa.org. All artcles published in JoTT are registered under Creatve Commons Atributon 4.0 Internatonal License unless otherwise mentoned. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproducton, and distributon of artcles in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publicaton. Journal of Threatened Taxa Building evidence for conservaton globally www.threatenedtaxa.org ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) Short Communication Occurrence of mammalian small carnivores in Kalakad- Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India A. Venkatesh, N. Sridharan, S. Agnes Jeya Packiavathi & K. Muthamizh Selvan 26 March 2021 | Vol. 13 | No. 3 | Pages: 17984–17989 DOI: 10.11609/jot.3670.13.3.17984-17989 For Focus, Scope, Aims, Policies, and Guidelines visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-0 For Artcle Submission Guidelines, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/submissions#onlineSubmissions For Policies against Scientfc Misconduct, visit htps://threatenedtaxa.org/index.php/JoTT/about/editorialPolicies#custom-2 For reprints, contact <[email protected]> The opinions expressed by the authors do not refect the views of the Journal of Threatened Taxa, Wildlife Informaton Liaison Development Society, Zoo Outreach Organizaton, or any of the partners. The journal, the publisher, the host, and the part- Publisher & Host ners are not responsible for the accuracy of the politcal boundaries shown in the maps by the authors. Member Threatened Taxa Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2021 | 13(3): 17984–17989 ISSN 0974-7907 (Online) | ISSN 0974-7893 (Print) PLATINUM OPEN ACCESS htps://doi.org/10.11609/jot.3670.13.3.17984-17989 #3670 | Received 28 March 2020 | Final received 09 February 2021 | Finally accepted 19 February 2021 SHORT COMMUNICATION Occurrence of mammalian small carnivores in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India A. Venkatesh 1 , N. Sridharan 2 , S. Agnes Jeya Packiavathi 3 & K. Muthamizh Selvan 4 1,2,3 Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, NGO ‘A’ Colony, Tirunelveli, Tamil Nadu, 627007, India. 4 Project Elephant Division, Ministry of Environment Forests & Climate Change, Indira Paryavaran Bhawan, New Delhi 110003, India. 1 [email protected], 2 [email protected], 3 [email protected], 4 [email protected] (corresponding author) Abstract: The small mammalian carnivores are important for fold increase in the number of forest fragments and an maintaining healthy ecosystems. The present documentaton is based 83% reducton in the size of surviving patches between on the camera trap survey in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Tamil Nadu. Paired camera-traps were set in a grid of 1.413 × 1.413 1920 and 1990, and a very high human populaton km area of 180km² within an alttudinal range of 80–1,866 m. A total density, is critcally threatened by habitat degradaton of 11 species were recorded in diferent habitat types. Brown Palm Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni and Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis and fragmentaton (Menon & Bawa, 1997; Menon 2003). had the highest capture rates and the lowest was Rusty Spoted Cat The rainforests of the Western Ghats have six species Prionailurus rubiginosus. of non-aquatc small carnivores including two endemic Keywords: Camera trapping, KMTR, lesser carnivores, smaller species (Nilgiri Marten Martes gwatkinsii, Brown Palm mammals. Civet Paradoxurus jerdoni), two endemic sub-species which otherwise also occur in Sri Lanka (Stripe-necked Mongoose Herpestes vitcollis, Brown Mongoose H. Small carnivores are difcult to study due to their fuscus), and two geographically very widespread species elusive, small, (semi-) arboreal, and crepuscular or (Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica, Leopard Cat nocturnal habits (Mudappa 2001). Extensive camera- Prionailurus bengalensis) (Ramesh et al. 2012). trapping of carnivores across India has provided some The Western Ghats ofer a wide range of habitats from published informaton on small carnivores, with a few lowland scrub forests to rainforests at high elevatons, systematc surveys specifcally for them. Camera- supportng many species of small carnivores. Mudappa trapping surveys in other protected areas provided (2001) and Mudappa et al. (2007) reported the small important data on some species of small carnivores carnivore compositon in part of the Agasthyamalai (Data et al. 2008; Nixon et al. 2010; Gupta 2011; Prakash landscape of Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve et al. 2012). The Western Ghats mountain range in India (KMTR) using opportunistc sight records, sign surveys, is a global biodiversity hotspot with a high diversity of live trapping, and radio-telemetry. The present study plant and animal taxa (Myers et al. 2000), including small reports small carnivores in KMTR based on camera trap carnivores. The Western Ghats, with an estmated four- surveys and opportunistc sight records. Editor: Honnavalli N. Kumara, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Coimbatore, India. Date of publicaton: 26 March 2021 (online & print) Citation: Venkatesh, A., N. Sridharan, S.A.J. Packiavathi & K.M. Selvan (2021). Occurrence of mammalian small carnivores in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve, Western Ghats, India. Journal of Threatened Taxa 13(3): 17984–17989. https://doi.org/10.11609/jott.3670.13.3.17984-17989 Copyright: © Venkatesh et al. 2021. Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. JoTT allows unrestricted use, reproduction, and distribution of this article in any medium by providing adequate credit to the author(s) and the source of publication. Funding: Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Conservaton Foundaton. Competng interests: The authors declare no competng interests. Acknowledgements: Our sincere thanks to Principal Chief Conservator of Forests & Chief Wildlife Warden, Tamil Nadu for grantng permission to carryout intensive study in KMTR. We would like to thank Kalakad Mundanthurai Tiger Conservaton Foundaton, Ofcials and feld staf of KMTR for the logistc support extended in the feld. 17984 Small carnivores in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Venkatesh et al. J TT Study Area Porcupine Hysterix indica, Indian Giant Squirrel Ratufa The Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve is located indica, Grey Jungle Fowl Gallus sonnerati, Red Spur in the southern part of the Western Ghats of India. Fowl Galloperdix spadicea and Indian Peafowl Pavo This region forms one of the important bio-diversity cristatus (Johnsingh 2001). Major forest types include ‘hotspots’(Ganesh et al. 1996; Ramesh et al. 1997; the southern hill top evergreen, southern tropical wet Myers et al. 2000; Johnsingh 2001) and is recognized as evergreen, Tirunelveli semi-evergreen, southern moist Type-1 Tiger Conservaton Unit (Wikramanayake et al. mixed deciduous, tropical riparian fringe, dry teak, 1998), due to its large and contguous forested tracts. southern dry mixed deciduous, Carnatc umbrella thorn, The reserve is spread over an area of 895km2 and located Ochlandra reeds, southern montane wet temperate between 7.16—77.58 0E & 8.41–8.83 0N (Figure 1). forests, and grasslands of low and high alttudes The alttude varies from 60m to 1,866m characterized (Champion & Seth 1968). by hilly terrain with low and high alttude plateau. It receives both the south-west and north-east monsoons Methods with mean annual rainfall of over 3,200mm. Mean Field survey monthly temperature ranges 15–30 °C. Besides three An area of 180km² within the alttudinal range of large carnivores, KMTR harbors several prey species 80–1,866 m had three intensive camera-trapping zones, such as Sambar Rusa unicolor, Gaur Bos gaurus, Chital in deciduous & thorn forest (84km²) and tropical rain Axis axis, Wild Boar Sus scrofa, Barking Deer Muntacus forest (96km²), from 09 April to 23 May 2015 (Image muntjak, Indian Chevrotain Tragulus meminna, Asian 1a&b). All the forest types had been surveyed during Elephant Elephas maximus, Black-naped Hare Lepus the dry season. Paired camera-traps were set in a grid of nigricollis, Bonnet Macaque Macaca radiata, Common 1.413 × 1.413 km. Each staton had two independently Langur Semnopithecus priam, Lion-tailed Macaque operatng passive-infrared cameras (Cudde back Atack; Macaca silenus, Nilgiri Tahr Hemitragus hylocrius, Indian Cudde back C3) mounted, opposite each other on trails, Figure 1. Camera trap locatons in the study area of Kalakad- Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Figure 2. Species capture details in the study area. Journal of Threatened Taxa | www.threatenedtaxa.org | 26 March 2021 | 13(3): 17984–17989 17985 J TT Small carnivores in Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve Venkatesh et al. staton was considered notonally independent if it was at least 10 minutes afer the species’ preceding image at that staton. Detectons involving more than one individual, but part of the same social unit, e.g., mother and young, were counted as a single event. Encounter rates were derived by dividing the number of notonally independent events by the camera-trap-nights × 100. Results A total of 3,510 trap-nights yielded 187 notonally independent photographs of 11 species namely: Jungle Cat Felis chaus, Leopard Cat Prionailurus bengalensis, a & Rusty-spoted Cat P. rubiginosus (27 notonally independent photographs), Small Indian Civet Viverricula indica (46),